The news from Maryland

A new Maryland poll shows Republican Michael Steele running slightly ahead of one of his two possible Democratic opponent and slightly behind the other one. According to NRO’s Sixers, the poll by Maryland-based Gonzalez Research shows Steele ahead of Kweisi Mfume by a margin of 42-28, but trailing Benjamin Cardin by 44-39.

I think that Cardin is generally regarded as the favorite in the upcoming primary. However, I’ve seen polls that show Mfume ahead, and Cardin has taken to airwaves in a big way in order to capture the nomination. If he succeeds, it looks like Steele will pose a serious challenge, and Cardin will have to worry about the possible erosion of African-American support that Maryland Dems always rely on. If Mfume is the nominee, then Steele probably becomes the front-runner.